Trends in AIDS mortality among residents of Puerto Rico and among Puerto Rican immigrants and other Hispanic residents of New York City, 1981-1989.

This study contrasts the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome mortality experience of residents of Puerto Rico with that of New York City residents identified as either Puerto Rico-born and non-Puerto Rico-born Hispanics. Portions of the mortality data examined in this investigation update and extend the data previously published describing selected groups in New York City through the end of 1987 but which did not consider residents of Puerto Rico. The nine-year cumulative, age-adjusted acquired immunodeficiency syndrome mortality rate for males was found to be 5 x higher among Puerto Rico-born New York City residents compared with residents of Puerto Rico (702/100,000 v 141/100,000) and 1 1/2 x greater than that of other male Hispanic New York City residents (447/100,000). In New York City, Puerto Rico-born females had higher age-adjusted mortality rates (121/100,000) than female residents of Puerto Rico (25/100,000) and other female Hispanic residents of New York City (70/100,000). Within five of the six age categories considered, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome mortality rates for adult males and females are higher for Puerto-Rico-born, New York City residents. Limitations of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome incidence data, as they pertain to persons of Puerto Rican ancestry, are discussed.

The Puerto Rico and New York State tumor registries: problems associated with the use of cancer incidence data in migrant studies.

This paper discusses specific problems pertaining to compatibility of data between the Puerto Rico and New York State tumor registries, which is applicable to other studies comparing cancer incidence rates from two distinct tumor registries. Discrepancies in the data between the two tumor registries were due to differences in quality control, under and overreporting of cancer cases, reliability indicators, and case criteria. A study comparing stomach cancer incidence rates between Puerto Rico and Puerto Rican migrants to New York City provided the foundation for this investigation.

AIDS mortality among Puerto Ricans and other Hispanics in New York City, 1981-1987.

Analysis of AIDS mortality data for New York City for 1981-1987 reveals that Puerto Ricans represent the racial/ethnic group most severely affected by this city's AIDS epidemic. Cumulative age-adjusted AIDS mortality rates among Puerto Rico-born males are significantly higher (362 per 100,000) than among blacks (267), whites (182), or other Hispanic (217) males, and cumulative age-specific mortality rates for males are highest for the Puerto Rico-born in every adult age group. AIDS proportional mortality analysis indicates that in 1987 the proportion of all deaths due to AIDS was 10% among those Puerto Rican-born, 12% among other Hispanics (which includes at least 50% United States-born Puerto Ricans), 6% among blacks, and 2% among whites.

Stomach cancer in a native and migrant population in Puerto Rico and New York City, 1975 to 1979.

This study compares age-adjusted stomach cancer incidence and mortality rates, by sex, among Puerto Rican-born residents of New York City (NYC/PR) and Puerto Rico (PR/PR) for the time period 1975 through 1979. One, three, and five year observed survival for cases diagnosed between 1975 and 1977 were compared. The results indicate that age-adjusted stomach cancer incidence rates per 100,000 among NYC/PR males (58.94) and females (27.58) were slightly higher compared to rates among PR/PR males (54.48) and females (25.73), while age-adjusted mortality rates were substantially higher among PR/PR males (46.38 vs. 37.29) and females (22.76 vs. 17.84), although these differences were not statistically significant. Differentials in observed survival consistently favored NYC/PR after one (43% vs. 35%), three (20% vs. 14%), and five years (11% vs. 9%) of follow-up.